In the digital age, the seamless interaction between different software applications is paramount. This is where the concepts of HTTP, Web APIs, and API endpoints come into play, serving as the backbone of communication in the vast landscape of the internet and software applications. Let's delve into these concepts to understand their roles and how they work together to facilitate this communication.
Service protection API limits are enforced based on three facets:
If the only limit was on the number of requests sent by a user, it would be possible to bypass it. The other facets were added to counter these attempts. For example:
Each web server available to your environment will enforce these limits independently. Most environments will have more than one web server. Trial environments are allocated only a single web server. The actual number of web servers that are available to your environment depends on multiple factors that are part of the managed service we provide. One of the factors is how many user licenses you have purchased.
The following table describes the default service protection API limits enforced per web server:
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REST (REpresentational State Transfer) refers to a Software Architectural Style that defines the standards for exchanging information between two different systems via the HTTP Protocol. It is the most popular architecture for exchanging data on the World Wide Web.
REST defines 6 different principles for Web Services:
Any API (Application Programming Interface) that follows the above principles is referred to as a REST API. In most cases, REST APIs use XML or JSON, but the REST Architecture doesn’t require anything specific as far as this is concerned. REST does not require any particular format, but it accepts any format that can be used in Content Negotiation.
OData (Open Data Protocol) is a set of best practices for developing and using RESTful APIs. It helps you to focus on your Business Logic while creating RESTful APIs without the need to worry about various ways to define request and response Headers, HTTP Methods, Status Codes, Media Types, URL Conventions, Payload Formats, and more.
OData carries the following specifications:
REST is the most essential component technology of OData. OData 3.0 standards require OData users to follow REST principles. OData rests on HTML technology, which resolves the problem of being REST-based in a way. It supports two Protocols for Data Transfer, the XML-based Atom format and JSON.
OData also has guidance for performing actions like defining reusable procedures, tracking changes, and sending many REST requests.
It provides two models for Data Management which include:
In the next section, we will be discussing OData vs REST APIs to know how the two compare in different core areas.
OData vs REST APIs: What’s the Difference?
Let’s now discuss how OData and REST APIs compare to each other:
REST is an architecture that defines how to send messages between a Client and a Server via HTTP. It is a model that states that you can use HTTP and its verbs to perform CRUD Operations (Create, Read, Update, Delete) on the resources exposed by your Services. Thus, REST is more concerned about the architecture.
OData is a standard from Microsoft that relies on the REST Architecture to send specific types of messages over HTTP. It defines metadata in CSDL (Common Schema Definition Language) format to describe the Entity types supported by your Service and their Properties, Data types, and more. Thus, OData is more concerned about the content.
REST defines 6 principles, as has been listed above, to ensure the creation of efficient Web Services and REST APIs must follow these principles. These principles ensure the success of REST Projects.
OData is built on top of the REST Framework, thus, it depends on REST principles. Note that even though OData recommends its users to follow REST principles every time, the requirement can be relaxed in the case of a good reason. A very basic, Compliant Service should be easy to build, with additional work necessary only to support additional capabilities.
REST is used when there is a need to interact with a Data Source, for example, to retrieve data for all Products. It is easier and faster to parse data using REST APIs. It uses URI to expose the Business Logic.
The following operations are available on HTTP:
OData is best used to expose Services and APIs to Systems and Applications. It has facilities for extension to achieve the custom needs of the REST APIs.
Data transfer format is an important factor to consider when comparing OData vs REST. REST supports the transfer of data in any format. Although most REST APIs use XML and JSON formats, REST is not specific in regard to this.
OData specifies that the data should be transferred in either JSON, XML, or Atom format.
Those were the major differences between OData vs REST.
This blog discussed fine differences across OData vs REST APIs. We also discussed concepts behind OData and REST APIs, their specifications and principles.
For Businesses, extracting complex data from a diverse set of Data Sources such as REST APIs can be a challenging task. This is where Hevo saves the day by providing an efficient, reliable and fast ETL Service.
Business Central supports three types of web services: API, SOAP, and OData.
https://www.c-sharpcorner.com/article/creating-html-web-resource-to-show-image-attached-in-notes-using-web-api/